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Business Leaders Warn Likud MKs of Economic Damage from Judicial Overhaul
A group of industry leaders, comprising dozens of members from the so-called Business Forum, held a meeting on Saturday night with four lawmakers from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. The leaders warned the lawmakers that economic damage from the government’s intended drastic overhaul of the judiciary was already being felt. The lawmakers in attendance were reportedly attentive to their remarks.
The Forum’s Concerns
The Business Forum explained that economic damage from the judicial overhaul has already begun, as predicted by many officials, experts, and critics of the plan. Additionally, the group expressed their concerns about a widening public divide over the legislation, according to Hebrew media reports on Sunday.
The Likud’s Judiciary Overhaul Plan
Netanyahu’s coalition, comprising of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties, has been pushing ahead with legislation that aims to weaken the Supreme Court and give the government control over the appointment of judges. The government says that the plan is a long-overdue measure to curb the outsize influence of unelected judges.
Critics Opposing the Plan
Critics perceive the plan as a move to destroy Israel’s fragile system of checks and balances by centralizing power in the hands of Netanyahu and his parliamentary majority. They also view it as an attempt by Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, to avoid justice. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have demonstrated over the past two months against the sweeping overhaul, Business leaders, Nobel-winning economists, and prominent security officials have also expressed opposition to it. Military reservists have threatened to stop reporting for duty, and even some of Israel’s closest allies, including the US, have urged Netanyahu to slow down. Efforts by President Isaac Herzog to broker a compromise have been unsuccessful.
Call to Stop the Legislation
In an interview on Sunday with Radio 103FM, David Bitan, chair of the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee, stated that he believes it is time for the prime minister “to order that the legislation be stopped.” He added that so far, Netanyahu has not halted the legislative drive because “he doesn’t want the government to fall.” The plan is set for a Knesset vote this week. However, Bitan argues that it should be halted for a specified amount of time “in order that it be possible to talk — inside and outside of Likud.”
Business Forum 40 Representatives Meet with Central Figures
The Business Forum 40 includes the heads of the largest companies and banks in Israel. Representatives of the forum met with Herzog last week, and in recent weeks, they have conferred with the ministers of finance, economy, and education, as well as opposition party leaders Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid and Benny Gantz of National Union.
Coalition Talks
Coalition party leaders are scheduled to meet on Sunday night for talks aimed at softening the planned judiciary changes. However, opposition lawmakers dismissed the meeting as “a joke.”
